But on occasion, there have been topics that are out of my own experience that I’ve felt important enough to have a swipe at because of their scientific importance and, as in the case with this news on breast cancer survival, affect the largest population living with MS: women. The recent publication of a study in the journal Neurology is one such case where I step out of my experiential comfort zone and share information — in this case, about the survival rates of women with MS who develop breast cancer versus women diagnosed with breast cancer not living with MS. RELATED: Cancer News Digest: Latest Developments in Cancer Research and Treatment for May 2021
How This Breast Cancer Study Was Done
The study was headed by Ruth Ann Marrie, MD, PhD, of the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada. The women who participated in the study were all living in Canada, in the provinces of Manitoba and Ontario, mostly in urban areas. Earlier research into cancer (breast cancer and colorectal cancer) in Canada suggests that the rate of diagnosis for breast cancer is similar across the MS and non-MS populations. This study looked at survival of women with MS who were diagnosed with breast cancer (779 women) versus that of 3,116 women of similar age, diagnosis, stage, and types of breast cancer who do not live with multiple sclerosis. The mean age of cancer diagnosis was 58. Most women were diagnosed with stage 1 or 2 breast cancer. About half of the study group was diagnosed in 2010 or later, while the remaining half was diagnosed as early as 1994. For the purpose of the study, the team of researchers concentrated on the 10-year period after cancer diagnosis, the assumption being that after 10 years, deaths would be less related to cancer than they would be to other health conditions and aging. The study had what can only be considered mixed news for women with MS who are diagnosed with breast cancer. It appears to be a classic “good news, bad news” report.
The Good News for Women With MS and Breast Cancer
The study found that women with breast cancer and MS had a similar cancer-specific survival rate, at 10 years post-cancer diagnosis, as women without MS. Robert Bermel, MD, of the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, who was not involved in the study, reminded patients with breast cancer and MS, in an interview with MedPage Today, that “These data should be placed in the context of similar studies from other countries, some of which showed a lower mortality in MS patients with breast cancer.”
The Not-So-Good News for Women With MS and Breast Cancer
After adjusting for several statistical considerations, though multiple sclerosis was not related with an increased hazard of cancer-specific death, MS was associated with an increased hazard for early death due to any cause. Disability status — neurological disability — was strongly indicated as associated with earlier death in the MS cohort of the study, according to Dr. Bermel.
More Studies Needed to Explain Lower All-Cause Survival Rates
In conclusion of their report, researchers state “Women with MS have lower all-cause survival after breast cancer diagnosis than women without MS. Future studies should confirm these findings in other populations and identify MS-specific factors associated with worse prognosis.” Without reading the fine print, one could be forgiven for misunderstanding that women with MS have a lower survivability of breast cancer. This is not the case, rather that women with MS and breast cancer (in this study, at least) had a higher overall mortality rate during the 10 years post-cancer diagnosis. Cancer death rates — which are overall quite good and improving — appear to be the same for women with and without MS. I hope this analysis of the report is helpful to women in our Life with MS community. Wishing you and your family the best of health. Cheers, Trevis
